View clinical trials related to Environmental Exposure.
Filter by:Neonatal intensive care relies on indwelling plastic medical devices fundamental in respiratory support, intravenous catheterization, and nutrition. While being in a critical developmental period, constant exposure to these invasive medical devices puts premature neonates at risk of plasticizers' potential toxicity. Despite novel regulations and development of alternative plasticizers (AP), reference to guide manufacturers and an overview of the prevailing exposure levels to DEHP or alternatives in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are still missing. The three main objectives of this project are: (1) to assess current exposure to plasticizers in the NICU, (2) to identify the sources of exposure and (3) to study the resultant long-term health risk in premature neonates. These objectives are addressed in three work packages (WP). In work package 1, in vivo exposure of premature neonates to phthalates and alternative plasticizers is assessed by determining their metabolites in biological matrices (urine and hair). Work package 2 explores ex vivo leaching characteristics of different plasticizers from medical devices used in the NICU. Finally, Work package 3 studies the long-term neurocognitive and lung development in relation to plasticizer exposure in the NICU.
Around 40% of the world's population is now impacted by allergic disease and this figure continues to rise. It is now understood that allergic disease arises from complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Exposure to allergens such as dust mites and pollen, as well as air pollutants such as diesel exhaust particulates, can alter the ability of critical genes to be expressed appropriately, a process known as epigenetic modification. The epigenetic modifications induced by allergens and pollutants appears to be reversible, thus providing a mechanism by which allergic disease can be treated. Budesonide (Rhinocort®) is a corticosteroid nasal spray commonly used to treat allergy symptoms. While the anti- inflammatory and other pharmacological aspects of budesonide are well understood, recent studies have suggested that budesonide may also work by reversing the epigenetic modifications caused by allergen exposure, although this has not been examined in the context of real-world exposures in humans. This study aims to harness the power of epigenetic analysis to determine whether the epigenetic landscape in patients suffering from allergic disease can be modified by the administration of budesonide. It will fill critical gaps in understanding of epigenetic effects and provide information to examine the connection between environmental impacts and treatment effects. The research will expand the mechanistic understanding of the therapeutic effects of budesonide for relief of nasal rhinitis symptoms and may reveal new mechanisms that could improve treatment of allergies or pollution exposure, or serve as a tool for evaluating future therapies. If this venture is successful, it will serve as a model for studying and optimizing the epigenetic effects of other treatments and other diseases.
This proposal relates to the testing of several specific hypotheses in a subset of 500 participants in the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study. These 500 now have complete data from the time of recruitment (in pregnancy) to age 1 year. The primary purpose of this proposal is to identify risk factors for early allergic outcomes and biomarkers that may predict future disease. These 500 infants will provide critical preliminary data, not only related to early outcomes, but also to inform analytical plans for the full CHILD cohort.
The Ma'anshan Birth Cohort (MABC) is a population-based prospective pregnancy and birth cohort study that aims to explore the early environmental and genetic determinants of maternal and child health, with a focus on health outcomes including maternal health, children's cognitive and behavioral development, growth and physical development, video-screen behaviors, and asthma and allergic diseases. MABC was officially launched in May 2013 at the Ma'anshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Anhui Province, and a total of 3,474 families were recruited as of September 2014 to continuously track the health status of mother-child pairs during pregnancy, delivery, and childhood, including basic family demographics, maternal pregnancy and birth history and past history, history of exposure to hazardous factors during pregnancy, children's diets and lifestyles, and children's physical and cognitive-behavioral development, MABC quantifies the attributional relationship between environmental chemicals, diet and nutrition, drug safety, psychological stress, lifestyle, biorhythm, endocrine metabolism and adverse birth outcomes, birth defects, neurodevelopmental disorders, developmental disabilities, etc., and identifies environmental, behavioral and genetic causative factors for birth defects and common developmental disorders, and identifies early warning signs and symptoms for early detection of birth defects. genetic causative factors, identify clinical biomarkers with early predictive effects, integrate and form a precise risk evaluation and early warning model, carry out regional comprehensive prevention and treatment applications, and promote the improvement of the quality of the birth population. Currently, MABC is conducting its 20th school-age follow-up visit.
This project is a community-based randomized controlled trial designed to test the effectiveness of two point-of-use water treatment technologies to improve clean drinking water access, reduce enteropathogen burden, and improve child growth among children in Limpopo, South Africa.